Raised By The Moon

Ava wakes up in the forest, covered in blood. Her clothes are torn, her body aches, and there's a deep, unsettling hunger in her chest.

The full moon hangs low, casting a crimson glow over everything. Something feels wrong.

She stumbles forward and finds a girl's dead body. Her throat is slashed open, her glassy eyes staring at nothing.

Panic hits Ava. She doesn't remember what happened. Did she do this?

Branches snap. Someone's coming.

Knox Rivera steps out of the shadows. His expression is unreadable, but there's something dangerous about the way he looks at her.

"You need to run."

Ava hears howls. More than one.

Knox grabs her wrist, dragging her away. He's fast, too fast.

Shadowy figures emerge from the trees. Wolves. But not normal ones. Their eyes glow amber, their bodies shifting unnaturally.

The wolves attack. Ava and Knox barely escape, but one gets close, too close.

Ava's body reacts instinctively. Her vision sharpens, her muscles coil, and before she realizes what's happening, she moves with unnatural speed slamming a wolf into a tree.

She doesn't feel human anymore.

They take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin.

Ava is breathing hard. Her hands won't stop shaking. Knox watches her like she's something else entirely.

"What's happening to me?" Ava demands.

Knox hesitates, then speaks the words that will change everything:

"You're not human, Ava.

And they're coming back for you."

Before Ava can respond, a loud snarl shakes the walls.

The door bursts open and a monstrous, jet black wolf lunges at Ava.

The scent of iron and earth was the first thing Ava Hale noticed.

Her body ached as she lay on the damp forest floor, the chill of the night seeping into her bones. The trees above stretched like skeletal fingers toward the sky, their twisted branches swaying under the eerie glow of the Blood Moon.

Ava's fingers twitched against the dirt, and something warm and wet clung to her skin. Blood.

Her breath hitched. Not mine.

Her pulse pounded as she pushed herself up, her hoodie torn, her jeans soaked in red. The coppery scent burned her nose, thick and suffocating.

Then she saw it.

The body.

A girl lay sprawled a few feet away, her throat ripped open. Blood pooled around her, dark and glistening beneath the moonlight. Her lifeless eyes wide with terror locked onto Ava, even in death.

Ava's stomach lurched.

She stumbled back, her breaths sharp and ragged. No. No, no, no.

Her mind raced, clawing for answers. How did I get here? What happened? But nothing came. Just empty static and the crushing weight of the scene in front of her.

A snapping twig somewhere behind her made her freeze.

She wasn't alone.

Ava whirled around, her heart slamming against her ribs.

Between the trees, a figure moved.

Knox Rivera.

Tall. Broad shouldered. Dressed in all black. His dark eyes locked onto her, sharp and unreadable.

Ava's pulse spiked.

She'd seen him before, always in the shadows, always watching. He wasn't the kind of guy people approached, and he didn't seem to want anyone to.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice hoarse.

Knox didn't answer. His gaze flicked to the body behind her, then back to her. Calculating.

Ava took a shaky step back. Did he think I did this?

"I, I didn't..." Her words faltered. How could she be sure? She woke up drenched in blood next to a dead girl.

Knox's jaw tightened. Then he took a step closer.

"You need to run."

Ava blinked. "What?"

The sound of howls shattered the silence.

Low. Too close.

Knox moved fast, grabbing her wrist. His grip was strong, almost unnatural.

"Now."

The forest blurred as they ran.

Branches whipped against Ava's skin, but the sharp sting barely registered over the pounding in her chest.

Behind them, the howls grew louder. Not normal wolves. No, these sounded bigger. Wilder. Wrong.

Knox yanked her behind a thick tree. "Stay quiet."

Ava's lungs burned, but she nodded.

Then she saw them.

Four figures emerged from the darkness.

Not men. Not quite wolves, either.

They walked on two legs, their skin shifting like liquid shadow, bones cracking and reforming with every step. Their eyes glowed a sickly amber, locked onto the exact spot where Ava stood.

Her stomach twisted.

"What... the hell?" she whispered.

Knox's grip on her wrist tightened. "They're hunters."

The closest creature snarled, baring jagged teeth. Then, in an instant it lunged.

Knox shoved her aside, twisting just in time to dodge the attack. The creature slammed into a tree, splintering bark.

Ava staggered back, her body moving before her mind could catch up.

One of the monsters turned on her, claws glinting in the moonlight. It pounced

And something inside Ava snapped.

Her vision sharpened. Her instincts screamed.

Before she even thought, she moved faster than she ever had before, sidestepping at the last second and slamming her elbow into its skull.

The impact sent the creature flying.

Ava stood there, chest heaving, her hands trembling with energy she didn't understand.

The monster didn't get back up.

Knox stared at her, something dark flashing in his eyes.

"You have no idea what you are," he muttered.

Ava swallowed hard. "What the hell does that mean?"

Knox didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her wrist again.

"We need to keep moving."

They ran until the howls faded.

Finally, Knox pulled her into an abandoned hunting cabin, the old wood creaking beneath their weight.

Ava collapsed onto a chair, hands still shaking.

"You want to explain now?" she demanded. "Because I just threw a six foot hellhound into a tree, and I don't do that. Ever."

Knox leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Silent. Thinking.

Ava scowled. "Say something."

His dark eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw it hesitation. As if whatever he was about to say would change everything.

Then he spoke.

"You're not human, Ava."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut.

Her throat tightened. "That's insane."

Knox's gaze didn't waver. "Then explain what just happened."

Ava shook her head, fingers gripping the edge of the chair. "No. That, that was adrenaline. A freak accident. I don't even "

Her words cut off.

Because deep down, she knew he was right.

The hunger curling in her chest. The way her vision had sharpened in the dark. The way her body had moved like it knew something she didn't.

Knox exhaled. "They're coming back for you."

Ava's breath hitched.

"Why?" she whispered.

Knox's jaw clenched. "Because you're something they fear."

Before she could press him for more, a low growl rumbled from outside.

Then

BOOM.

The door shattered as a massive, jet black wolf burst through.

Fangs bared. Eyes glowing.

And it lunged straight for Ava.

The wolf was massive.

Bigger than any normal wolf, its shoulders nearly reaching the cabin's ceiling, fur black as shadows, eyes glowing like molten gold. Its snarl rattled the walls, and the air crackled with something unnatural.

It didn't hesitate.

It lunged straight for Ava.

She barely had time to react. One second she was frozen, the next

Knox moved.

Faster than she thought humanly possible, he grabbed her and shoved her out of the way.

The wolf's jaws snapped shut where her throat had been.

The impact sent Knox and the beast crashing into a wooden table, splinters flying.

Ava scrambled backward, her pulse a wild drumbeat. Her body was screaming at her to move, to run, but her muscles felt tight like something inside was shifting, pulling.

The wolf shook off the wreckage and turned its gaze on her.

Her chest ached as the feeling intensified like a wildfire spreading through her veins.

The wolf's ears flattened. It sensed something.

Knox staggered up from the wreckage, blood trickling from his forehead. "Ava, listen to me."

She barely heard him. Her vision was sharpening, her heartbeat syncing with something unseen.

The wolf charged.

And Ava moved.

Faster than before.

Her instincts kicked in, her body twisting out of reach at the last second. She barely registered what happened the next moment she was dodging, the next her hand shot out and slammed into the wolf's ribs.

It yelped and crashed through the wall, disappearing into the dark.

Silence.

Ava stood there, breath heaving, her hand still tingling from the impact. She had no idea how she did that.

Knox wiped the blood from his face and stared at her.

"That thing wasn't just here to kill you," he said, voice low. "It was testing you."

Ava's pulse thundered. "Testing me for what?"

Knox's jaw clenched. Then, finally, he answered:

"To see if you're ready to shift."

Ava's breath caught in her throat. Shift?

She shook her head. "No. That's, That's insane. I'm not "

Knox cut her off. "Ava. You're a werewolf."

The words hung in the air, impossible yet undeniable.

Ava stared at Knox, her body trembling. A werewolf?

No. That couldn't be real.

She took a step back, but the memories started surfacing.

The way her senses had been too sharp lately.

The strange cravings she couldn't explain.

The hunger that had been growing inside her.

It all made sense now.

Her gaze snapped back to Knox. "What the hell is happening to me?"

Knox ran a hand through his hair. "You're waking up."

Ava's hands clenched into fists. "What does that even mean?"

Knox exhaled, watching her carefully. "You weren't supposed to shift yet. But the Blood Moon it's changing things. Your bloodline... it's not normal."

A chill ran through her. "My bloodline?"

Knox hesitated. But before he could answer

A second howl tore through the night.

Louder. Closer.

The air turned ice cold.

Knox cursed. "More are coming."

Ava's stomach twisted.

This wasn't over.

It was just the beginning.

Ava is forced to accept the truth she's a werewolf, and something dangerous is coming for her.

Ava's mind spun.

She wasn't human. She was a werewolf.

The words knotted in her chest, impossible yet undeniable. The raw strength coursing through her veins, the unnatural speed she'd moved with, the way her body reacted without thinking it all made sense.

But she barely had time to process it before

CRASH.

The cabin window exploded.

Ava flinched as shards of glass rained down, the night air filling with snarls and shifting shadows.

Knox's grip on her wrist tightened. "We need to leave. Now."

Before she could move, a massive shape lunged through the shattered window.

Ava's breath hitched.

It wasn't just one.

Three of them.

They weren't fully wolves, but they weren't human either. Tall, twisted figures, eyes glowing gold, their bones shifting unnaturally beneath their skin.

One of them sniffed the air, then locked onto her. A slow, twisted grin spread across his half-shifted face.

"She's waking up," he rasped. "The Alpha will want to see this."

The moment he spoke, they attacked.

Knox moved first.

He spun, driving a knife into the chest of the closest attacker. The creature snarled, staggering back, but it didn't fall.

Ava barely had time to react before another one lunged at her.

Her body moved on instinct.

She ducked low, her heartbeat syncing with something primal. As the creature swiped at her, she twisted, dodging with unnatural speed.

Then without thinking she struck.

Her fist connected with the creature's ribs, sending it flying into the cabin wall.

Too strong. Too fast.

Ava stared at her hands, her pulse hammering.

"What the hell is happening to me?" she whispered.

Knox didn't answer he was too busy fighting.

The last creature rushed him, jaws snapping. Knox dodged, his movements impossibly fast, and slammed his knife into its shoulder. It howled but didn't go down.

And Ava barely had time to react before something heavy tackled her from behind.

She crashed to the floor, pinned beneath one of the creatures. Its breath was hot against her ear.

"The Alpha wants her alive," it snarled.

Ava's vision flickered.

Something inside her twisted and snapped.

A burning heat spread through her chest, an invisible force coiling beneath her skin. Her breathing deepened, and suddenly

The creature's grip slipped.

It hesitated. Something in her eyes changed.

Ava didn't wait. She threw it off her, sending it crashing through the broken window.

Knox grabbed her arm. "Move!"

She didn't need to be told twice.

They ran into the woods.

The trees blurred past, Ava's pulse still hammering. Her whole body felt different like something had been unlocked, a raw, untamed energy thrumming beneath her skin.

They stopped near a ridge, the howls still echoing in the distance.

Ava turned on Knox. "Start talking. Now."

Knox wiped the blood from his cheek, his expression unreadable.

She took a shaky breath. "You said I'm a werewolf."

"You are."

"And those things back there?"

Knox exhaled. "They're part of a rogue pack ones who follow the Alpha."

Ava's throat tightened. "And this Alpha he wants me? Why?"

Knox hesitated. Then he finally said it:

"Because you're not just any werewolf, Ava."

Her stomach twisted. "What does that mean?"

Knox's jaw tightened. "You're the heir to a bloodline that was never supposed to exist."

Before she could process that, a new sound filled the night.

Not a snarl.

Not a growl.

Footsteps.

Ava turned.

Figures stepped out from the trees.

Not monsters. Not rogues.

Wolves.

And they were here for her.

Ava's pulse spiked.

The figures emerging from the trees were wolves but different from the ones that attacked her.

They moved silently, their dark forms blending into the shadows. Their eyes glowed in the moonlight not amber like the rogues, but silver.

Their leader stepped forward. A massive gray wolf, muscles rippling beneath his thick fur.

And then he shifted.

Bones cracked, fur melted away, and within seconds, a man stood in front of her. Tall. Strong. Midnight hair, a sharp jawline, and piercing silver eyes that locked onto hers.

Ava's breath caught. Who the hell ?

Knox tensed beside her, his hand subtly moving toward his knife.

The man's lips curled into a smirk. "Well. We finally found her."

Ava's stomach twisted. "Who are you?"

The man ignored her, his gaze flicking to Knox. "You've been hiding her?"

Knox's muscles coiled. "I've been protecting her."

The man scoffed. "You think you're the only one who wants her alive?" He turned back to Ava. "Come with us. We don't have time to waste."

Ava took a step back. "Like hell I'm going anywhere with you."

The man's smirk didn't falter. "I get it. You don't know who to trust." His expression darkened. "But if you stay out here, the rogues will find you again. And next time, they won't be testing you."

Ava clenched her fists. "And you expect me to trust you instead?"

A pause. Then the man's gaze softened, just slightly.

"You have no idea what you are, do you?"

Ava swallowed. "I know I'm a werewolf."

He chuckled. "You think it's that simple?" His eyes glowed brighter. "You're more than just a wolf, Ava."

Ava's stomach twisted. Not again.

First Knox tells her she's part of a bloodline that wasn't supposed to exist. Now this stranger is saying she's more than a werewolf?

"What the hell does that mean?" she snapped.

The man's expression turned serious. "Come with us, and I'll show you."

Knox shifted beside her. He didn't trust them.

And neither did Ava.

Ava glanced at Knox. "Do you know these people?"

Knox exhaled. "I know of them." His jaw tightened. "They're not with the rogues. But that doesn't mean they're on our side either."

The man sighed. "You can stay here and hope you survive the night, or you can come with us and get some damn answers."

Ava's head spun. She didn't trust them. She barely trusted Knox.

But if she stayed here...

The rogues would come back. And next time, they wouldn't stop at testing her.

She turned to Knox. "If I go, are you coming with me?"

Knox hesitated. Then he gave a sharp nod.

Ava took a breath. She didn't like this. But she had no choice.

She turned back to the man. "Fine. I'll go."

The man smiled. "Smart choice."

Then his gaze flicked behind her, and his expression sharpened.

"Too late," he muttered.

Ava frowned. "What "

Then she heard it.

The sound of snarls growing closer.

Ava's blood ran cold.

The rogues had found them.

Ava barely had time to react.

The rogues were already here.

The underbrush exploded as dark figures lunged from the shadows six of them, their golden eyes gleaming, their half-shifted forms snarling like rabid beasts.

The leader of the silver-eyed wolves the one who wanted Ava to come with them cursed under his breath.

"We don't have time for this," he muttered.

Knox was already moving. "Ava, stay close."

One of the rogues leaped aiming straight for Ava.

Her body moved before she could think. She ducked, twisting out of the way with unnatural speed. The rogue's claws barely missed her, raking through the air where her throat had been.

Another came at her from the side. Ava spun, throwing her elbow into its ribs. The force sent it flying into a tree.

Too strong. Too fast.

She barely had time to process it before a third rogue lunged.

This time, she wasn't fast enough.

It slammed into her, knocking her back onto the ground. A growl rattled in its throat as it pinned her down, fangs flashing.

Ava's heart pounded. MOVE.

The rogue lunged for her throat

SNAP.

It went still.

Ava barely registered what happened before the body was ripped away from her.

The silver-eyed man stood over her, his claws dripping with blood.

His expression was unreadable. "You good?"

Ava blinked, heart still hammering. He just saved her.

She nodded and scrambled to her feet. The fight wasn't over.

The rogues weren't backing down. They wanted her.

But why?

And then, just when she thought it couldn't get worse

A new presence filled the air.

It was heavy. Electric.

Ava's breath caught.

Something was coming.

And whoever it was... they were worse than the rogues.

Knox seemed to sense it too. He grabbed Ava's wrist. "We need to go. Now."

The silver-eyed man nodded sharply. "Agreed."

The rogues as vicious as they had been just seconds ago were suddenly still.

Waiting.

Because they weren't the real threat.

Something bigger was coming.

And Ava knew, deep in her gut.

This was only just the beginning.

Ava's pulse roared in her ears.

The rogues had stopped attacking.

They crouched in the underbrush, their golden eyes locked onto something in the darkness beyond the trees. Their snarls had faded into uneasy growls, their bodies tense like they were waiting for a command.

Or a master.

Knox still had her wrist in a vice grip. "We need to go. Now."

Ava barely managed a nod. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run, but she was frozen, her gaze locked on the shadow between the trees.

Then she saw it.

A figure. Tall, broad-shouldered, stepping out from the blackened forest like he belonged to it.

The air around him crackled.

His presence hit her like a shockwave.

Ava staggered back, her vision blurring for a split second. A pressure she couldn't explain coiled in her chest, something ancient, something wrong.

Whoever this man was, he wasn't like the rogues.

He was worse.

Knox swore under his breath. The silver-eyed wolves tensed. Even the rogues flinched as the man walked past them, his boots crunching softly against the forest floor.

He stopped just a few feet away.

Ava swallowed hard.

He was tall, his body lean but powerful beneath his dark clothes. His hair was black as ink, his eyes an unnatural shade of amber burning, like molten gold. The power rolling off him was suffocating.

Then he smiled. And it was the worst thing of all.

Because it wasn't a smirk, wasn't cruel or mocking.

It was knowing.

Like he'd been expecting her. Like he'd already won.

"Ava," he said, voice smooth as smoke. "I've been waiting for you."

Every muscle in her body locked.

She didn't know this man. She had never seen him before.

But he knew her.

Knox stepped in front of her, knife in hand. "Back off, Silas."

Silas.

The name sent a shiver down Ava's spine.

She knew that name.

Everyone did.

Silas wasn't just any Alpha. He was the leader of the Shadowborn.

The man responsible for wiping out entire packs. The man who had been hunting her.

And he was standing right in front of her.

Ava clenched her fists. Her body still hummed with that strange energy the same force that had thrown the rogue through the window.

Silas tilted his head. "Still figuring it out, aren't you?" His golden eyes flickered with something almost like amusement. "That power inside you."

Ava said nothing. She could barely breathe.

Silas smiled again. "You don't belong with them," he said, nodding at Knox and the silver-eyed wolves. "Come with me, and I'll tell you everything."

A cold dread curled in her stomach.

She had no reason to trust him.

But his words rang with a dangerous kind of truth.

Knox stepped forward. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Silas sighed. "Always the protector." He sounded almost bored. "You can't keep her from what she is, Knox. No one can."

His gaze flicked back to Ava. "You can feel it, can't you? The blood in your veins. The power waking up. You don't even know what you're capable of yet."

Ava's throat tightened.

Because he was right.

Something was waking up inside her.

But she didn't want him to be the one to show her what it was.

Silas studied her for a long moment. Then, without warning

He moved.

Faster than should have been possible.

One second, he was ten feet away. The next, he was right there.

Ava barely had time to react before Knox shoved her aside, meeting Silas mid-air with a clash of steel.

The fight exploded.

Silas and Knox blurred together, shadows twisting around them as they moved. Claws, fangs, steel everything collided at once, a deadly symphony of snarls and flashes of silver.

The silver-eyed wolves lunged at the rogues, and the clearing erupted into chaos.

Ava scrambled to her feet, heart hammering. She turned, ready to help Knox

Too late.

Silas tossed Knox aside like he weighed nothing. He crashed into a tree, groaning in pain.

Ava barely had time to scream before Silas was in front of her again.

His eyes burned into hers. "You can't run from this, Ava."

Then his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.

The moment his skin touched hers

Pain.

Ava gasped, her knees buckling. A rush of white-hot agony surged through her veins, like fire and ice crashing together.

Flashes of something she couldn't understand filled her mind. A blood-red moon. A burning forest. A pair of silver eyes just like hers, full of rage and sorrow.

She choked on a breath, barely clinging to consciousness.

And then

Something snapped.

A force exploded outward.

Silas's grip shattered, and he was launched backward, crashing through the trees.

Ava staggered, panting, her vision swimming.

The clearing fell silent.

The rogues stared in shock. The silver-eyed wolves froze. Even Knox, still struggling to stand, looked stunned.

Silas lay motionless for a moment. Then, slowly, he sat up.

He touched his lip, where a thin trail of blood trickled down.

Then he laughed.

Low. Amused. Like he hadn't just been thrown halfway across the forest by a force Ava didn't even understand.

His golden eyes locked onto hers.

"Well," he murmured. "That was interesting."

Ava's breath came in short gasps. Her hands still buzzed with that strange energy, like something inside her had finally cracked open.

Silas pushed himself to his feet, brushing dust from his jacket. "We'll meet again, Ava."

And then

He was gone.

Disappearing into the trees like a phantom, the rogues vanishing with him.

The moment he was out of sight, Ava's knees buckled.

Knox caught her before she hit the ground.

"Easy," he murmured.

Ava tried to catch her breath, her mind still spinning.

What the hell had just happened?

She had just fought off Silas.

And somehow somehow she had won.

She looked up at Knox, her pulse still racing. "What did I just do?"

Knox's jaw was tight, his silver eyes unreadable.

"That," he said quietly, "is what we need to figure out."

The silver-eyed leader stepped forward, his gaze assessing her with something close to respect.

"Well," he said, crossing his arms. "Looks like we're taking you with us after all."

Ava barely had the strength to argue.

Because for the first time since this nightmare started...

She was terrified of herself.

Ava's breathing was ragged.

Her body still hummed with the raw energy that had thrown Silas across the clearing.

What the hell was that?

She glanced down at her hands. They were trembling, faint tingles of power still pulsing beneath her skin. Whatever had happened wasn't just a rush of adrenaline it was something else.

Something dangerous.

Knox kept a steady grip on her arm, watching her with wary eyes. "Can you stand?"

Ava swallowed hard, forcing herself to nod. She pushed up, her legs unsteady but holding.

The silver-eyed leader studied her with something close to amusement. "Impressive. Not many people survive a face-off with Silas."

Ava clenched her fists. "Not many people throw him through a damn forest, either."

The man chuckled, but there was a sharpness to his gaze, like he was piecing something together.

Knox straightened beside her. "We need to leave before he comes back."

Ava's stomach twisted. Would he come back?

The way Silas had smiled at her before disappearing like he'd just confirmed something made her skin crawl.

He wasn't done with her.

Not even close.

The silver-eyed wolves seemed to sense the urgency. Their leader nodded once. "Agreed. We'll take you somewhere safe."

Ava crossed her arms. "And where exactly is that?"

The man smirked. "Our pack's sanctuary. You'll be protected there."

Ava's chest tightened.

Protected.

She had barely wrapped her head around the fact that werewolves existed, let alone that she was one. And now she was supposed to trust a pack she had never met?

She looked at Knox, searching for any sign of hesitation.

He met her gaze, then gave her a short nod. "It's safer than staying out here."

Safer.

But safe?

She wasn't sure anything was safe anymore.

Ava exhaled sharply, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Fine. But if you try anything "

The leader chuckled. "Relax, Moonborne. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have killed that rogue for you."

Ava stiffened.

Moonborne.

That wasn't the first time she'd heard that word.

Silas had said something similar You don't even know what you are.

A cold prickle ran down her spine.

She wanted answers. But right now, she wanted to get out of these woods more.

Knox seemed to sense her hesitation. He touched her arm lightly. "Come on."

She nodded once, reluctantly.

Then they ran.

The forest blurred around them as they moved.

Ava didn't know how long they ran, only that the shadows thinned, the trees opening into a vast stretch of untouched wilderness.

No roads. No signs of civilization. Just the raw, endless sprawl of nature.

A hidden sanctuary.

The silver-eyed wolves led them through a narrow trail, weaving between thick pines and jagged rock formations. Their movements were eerily silent, like ghosts slipping through the night.

Finally, after what felt like miles, they reached it.

Ava's breath caught.

A valley stretched below them, nestled between towering cliffs. A settlement lay at its heart wooden cabins built into the earth, fires flickering against the night, wolves moving like shadows between them.

It wasn't just a pack.

It was a fortress.

Knox glanced at her. "Welcome to the last place the Shadowborn would dare step foot."

Ava swallowed hard.

She really hoped he was right.

The moment they entered the settlement, all eyes were on her.

Wolves in human form lingered near the fires, sharpening blades or speaking in low murmurs. Some were fully shifted, silver pelts gleaming in the moonlight as they prowled along the ridge.

And every single one of them turned as she passed.

Ava felt their eyes on her. Not just curiosity something deeper.

Recognition.

She didn't understand it.

But she damn sure felt it.

Knox stayed close, his presence a steady weight at her side. The silver-eyed leader led them toward the largest cabin, where a pair of guards waited at the door.

One of them nodded. "He's inside."

The leader turned to Ava. "Our Alpha wants to meet you."

Ava's heart skipped.

Another Alpha. Another leader who probably had their own plans for her.

She clenched her fists. "If this is some kind of trap "

The leader just smirked. "Trust me. He's been waiting for you."

That didn't make her feel any better.

But she wasn't about to run. Not after everything that had happened tonight.

Knox gave her a reassuring look before nodding toward the door. "Let's go."

Ava took a breath, squared her shoulders

And stepped inside.

The cabin was dimly lit, the scent of wood smoke thick in the air.

A man stood near the fire.

His back was to her, hands clasped behind him, shoulders tense with a quiet kind of authority.

Even before he turned, Ava felt his power. It didn't roll off him the way Silas's had dark and suffocating. This was something different. Controlled. Measured.

Then he turned.

And Ava's breath hitched.

His face was sharp, chiseled with years of battle. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw, streaks of silver threading through his ink-black hair. But it was his eyes that stopped her.

Silver.

Just like hers.

Just like the others in the pack.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then the man exhaled softly. His expression was unreadable, but there was something else beneath it something Ava couldn't name.

Like he already knew her.

Like he'd been waiting for this moment.

Finally, he spoke.

"Ava."

Her name sounded different in his voice.

He studied her for a long moment, then let out a quiet chuckle. "You really do have your father's eyes."

Ava's breath caught.

Her father.

A sharp pressure clenched her chest. She had spent years pushing his memory away, drowning in the ache of losing him.

But hearing a stranger say his name like they knew him made it all crash back.

Ava's jaw tightened. "Who the hell are you?"

The man gave her a small, knowing smile.

Then, in a voice calm and certain, he said:

"My name is Elias."

His silver eyes burned into hers.

"And I knew your father better than anyone."